It's almost been a year

Lately it seems like I am thwarted at every turn.  But not thwarted in love, in company, in fresh air, in greenery, in good food, or in baby kisses.  So every turn is an exaggeration.  What I am thwarted in is concentration and reliable internet access.

Wow, this is a really similar story to so many other that I've shared.  Really, Rae? you're thinking.  Seriously?  You're having problems with internet access and a clear space to concentrate on writing?  We're shocked.  No really, we'd never have guessed.

You guys are so sarcastic.  But really, I have so many emails to respond to. (I got your email by the way!  I'm so sorry that I'm late in getting back to you!) And then I sit down to do it and one of the kids starts trying to pull off the head of another of the kids, so I decide to wait until the little lambs are sleeping, and when I finally sigh and settle down to do it, WHAM! a lightning bolt sizzles my computer.  No it doesn't, but inexplicably the internet connection is down.

So I of course switch gears and sit and show Renee and Cat and Becca home videos of the children that they already see every single day.  Here's Leafy singing.  Here's Leafy dancing. Here's Chinua singing and dancing while driving.  Look how cute everyone is!  Look how little they are! And you get the point.

I do have some real blog posts stuck in my brain- things I want to tell you and show you.  Letters to my kids which I should have posted LONG ago.  Thoughts on waste and what we do with our trash.  (I have lots of thoughts on this- the last year of my life has been spent wrestling with trash and trying to cut down on waste.  If there was a theme song to the year it would be... uh.... some kind of garbage related song.  I can't think of one right now.)  Thoughts on community, on meditation, on life.

I'm also thinking of starting a new website, because what better thing to do when you have unreliable internet access than start a new website?

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Today we woke up and Chinua asked me if I wanted to go for a walk.  I said yes, and that is what we did.  We walked to the waterfall in Bagsu- down the hill, another kilometre there, and one back, and back up the hill.  I have superhero kids.  And a Superstar Husband who made the last trek up the hill with a baby in the carrier, a Leafy boy on his shoulders, and a backpack on.

Waterfall

It was one of those memorable days when you are so so tired, but so happy, and you know that you will be talking about the waterfall for a long time, and you are glad that you do things like this, even when they make you tired.  Kind of like life.

Micro goat Escape

(By the way, did you know that I turned 29 almost a week ago?  On my birthday I managed to play pin the tail on the donkey, ride on a seesaw, and ride on a thing that I can't remember the word for... spinning thing, really dangerous, launches children into the air like sacks of potatoes, like a carousel but not... is there even a name for it?  Anyways, I felt like I turned 9, rather than 29.

And about the seesaw, Kid A says that it's like a scale for people, and when I was too heavy on my end, he called YaYa over, saying "we need another orange on this side!"  Just a bit of living in India, since I don't remember the last time I saw a scale with weights in the states, but it's all they use here.)

Kid A and the Falafel